This is a stock photo of one of the six boats like this that the Texas Highway Department operates to patrol the border. I was coming out of the parking lot at Panjo's yesterday when I saw one being pulled down Hwy 35. The boat was not all that big, maybe 27 to 29 feet. It was an awesome sight. My 200 hp gets 2 MPG. I can imagine these are looking at 3 GPM. I have to add this to my bucket list, just five minutes with my hand on the throttle.

Recently , the most consistent fish producing area has been the HEB beach. These guests in 208 came back today with two trout 26 inches and 24 inches. Yesterday they landed a 28.5 inch trout on shrimp.

Rita and Marv came in for their fall monthly stay and he had good luck fishing south. He sent me this note.

Randy took these pictures after a fishing trip out of Corpus Christi in Randy,s boat.  It was quite eventful as it rained most of the day but you can't stop fishing if the fish are biting. We ended up with  3 Reds and 9 Trout. Great day

 Steve(702) came by late this afternoon and we went to Newcomb's Bend in Copano. The area looks very fishy, but we couldn't find but one undersized red that wanted a mullet. Below Steve casts along the shoreline trying to entice a strike, but no luck with that. My DOA was pretty much ignored too.

This is how it looked this afternoon on the crossbridge. There were eight folks trying to catch one of those elusive reds. There was one extra large drum hooked today and two big ones were caught this weekend. All were over 40 inches. Not that many reds seem to still be around. The tide dropped almost a foot overnight.

 Here Marcelino is working to repair the stucco on 209. The rotted and rusted material was removed. He then replaced studs where needed, installed plywood, and wire mesh. Later the stucco crew came out and applied the stucco, as can be seen below. Stucco work was also done on 601 and 404.

The work on the back of the 100 building has been completed. Hardiplank now covers all the exposed walls. A lot or repainting was also done on the white surfaces. This should last a while.

This heron seemed to be standing guard over my boat as we prepared to head out this morning. Lisa and her friend, Brent,(renting in 505) went with me on Saturday, Monday, and today. Saturday we didn't go out until 5 in the afternoon and thought with the front approaching, we might find the fish a bit hungry. We went straight to Paul's Mott. The water was perfect, but the fishing not so good. I did finally tease an 18 inch trout into taking my DOA shrimp at the spoil bank west of Long Reef. A few seconds later Lisa had something large grab her lure and never look back. She looked stunned as she gazed at the dangling line that was left.
On Monday the north wind was still a bit stiff and we headed to the Goose Island shoreline. We never got a bite there. We tried to find the "pipe", but never did. I found the reef, but it looks as if the pipe has finally rusted away. We then went to the intercoastal at marker 7. We found some small trout there and one not quite big enough red. Finally, at Poverty, we finally got one barely keeper trout. We then went to Jaybird and again nothing there. We tried Long Reef and Half Moon. The water was just too stirred up.
Today we went to Copano. We actually tried the north HEB shoreline first, but got nothing. We tried the reef just on the other side of the causeway, but again no bites. We went around Redfish Point and the water was perfect, but not bites there either. We went to the old bomb site and had a perfect drift, but not bites. We then went to Lap Reef. Immediately, we saw about three acres of mullet at the top of the water and madly evading feeding trout. We could smell the trout and see the mullet.  I have never seen so many mullet at one time. They were in the 6 to 10 inch range so I knew the trout would be big. However, they would not touch my DOA. I'm sure it was hard to find in the thick mullet. Every time I would pop the cork, virtually hundreds of mullet would jump into the air. Finally, Lisa caught a 19 inch trout on a bass assassin. I tried a gold spoon and a die dapper, but never had a bite. Lisa then caught another 19 incher. Brent and I got shut out. We finally went to Turtle Pen to see what was there, but got no bites there either. We then headed back. Altogether we burned 26 gallons of gas for four trout. It always amuses me when people know you went fishing at the coast and they ask, "Did you bring me any fish?" They really don't know the time and effort involved in catching these crafty critters. There were three more nice reds caught in the mitigation site on Saturday night.

 The painting of the back of the 100 building started last week. The new hardiplank has blended in well and it looks as if the painting will be wrapped up by tomorrow. Every vertical column was redone with hardiplank from top to bottom.

More repair needs to be done to this wall on the outside deck of 209. A small piece was bad at the bottom, but when the work started to repair it, they found the whole wall was rotted and needs to be replaced. This will be done with stucco to match all the other walls on the 200 building. Hardiplank was used on the 100 building because so much of it had to be redone and the hardiplank is a better long term repair.

The recent rains and cooler temperatures have made the landscape shrubbery come to life. In fact, it was 55 degrees when I got up on Sunday morning. This Sago Palm was transplanted by Alan and Angela(108) about two years ago and it didn't look like it would make it. Today it is the nicest one on the complex.

Tel Talley has really earned his money this summer. The rains have made the grass grow as quickly as I've ever seen. When he comes every Thursday, the grass is already over ankle high. The Saint Augustine grass has spread into areas that have traditionally been all bermuda grass. There is no doubt Tel does the best job at the best price that we have ever been able to find.
It was nice to visit with Betty(103) last week. She had not been here is several years. It's a long way here from Nebraska. She will be 88 soon.
Last evening, while on the crossbridge, Mingo and I saw two deer walk up to the area around the boat ramp. I think the greener grasses have them up and munching earlier in the evening.
The reds are still around. Ralph(101) caught 5 last Monday using Gulp. Saturday evening I counted 27 people fishing on the crossbridge. Fred(guest in 102) caught a 28 inch red in the pond. This morning, just before daylight, Jerry(maintenance) caught and released a 31 inch red in the pond. He said it hit a mullet.
A good number of October monthly renters arrived today. It seems they are all out fishing on the crossbridge. One owner told me that when he went to buy bait, the worker volunteered that he had heard they were really catching reds out at Kontiki.  I do think the same thing is happening at the Racket Club pond. I've seen folks lining their shallow pond and fishing at all times of the day.  Word gets out.